Whitworth named among top universities in the West | Arts & Culture

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For the sixth year in a row, Whitworth University has been designated one of the best colleges and universities in the West in a recent college guide published by The Princeton Review.

The education-services company ranked Whitworth among 123 institutions in the “Best Western Colleges” section of it's website feature, “2015 Best Colleges: Region by Region,” which was posted Tuesday.

The Princeton Review chooses schools based on institutional data it collects from several hundred schools in each region, on visits to schools, and on the opinions of independent and high-school-based college advisors. It also takes into account students' reports about their campus experience. Only schools that permit The Princeton Review to survey their students independently are eligible to be considered for the regional “best” lists.

“It's incredible affirming to read students' comments about Whitworth's engaged faculty, small and stimulating classes, outstanding facilities in a spectacular setting, and strong commitment to a Christian liberal arts education,” says Greg Orwig, vice president for admissions and financial aid at Whitworth. “These things are central to the Whitworth experience, because we believe that they are best for students. If they lead to high recognition or rankings, that's a great bonus.”

The survey for this annual project asks students to rate their own schools in a variety of areas, from financial aid and the accessibility of their professors to the quality of the campus food – and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life.

Students reported that Whitworth's one-month Jan Term features “amazing opportunities to travel abroad” and said that Whitworth has “very approachable professors” whose “passion is contagious.” One student said a professor “called my cell phone because she heard I was having trouble using statistical software.” Students also describe Whitworth as having an “intimate campus” with “incredibly stimulating” small classes and a “caring, home-like atmosphere.”

Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university enrolls nearly 3,000 students and offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.